Project Status

Film Production and Overview:

We currently have a final cut of our 96-minute feature-length documentary film. Notably, our film is the first feature-length documentary about Tamara de Lempicka, filling a significant gap in the cinematic portrayal of this iconic artist. We will be premiering the film in the next few months at festivals throughout the world and we are in talks with major distributors and streamers. We've included never-before-seen 8MM home movies provided by the de Lempicka family, offering a snapshot of Tamara traveling and living in Venice, Italy; Paris; Beverly Hills; New York; Houston, Texas; and Cuernavaca, Mexico, showcasing rare historical footage. We uncover groundbreaking newly-discovered documents that prove Tamara de Lempicka’s true name, heritage and identity which will change art history.


Secured Rights:

We have secured the rights to all images of Tamara de Lempicka's artwork, family archives, writings through Tamara de Lempicka Estate LLC and Tamara de Lempicka Productions PTY LTD. We have secured our E&O Insurance Letter. 


Content and Insights:

Our film showcases a unique perspective on Tamara de Lempicka's life. Her story is told through her artwork, focusing on her relationships with her family, lovers, and friendships, as well as her Jewish heritage and its influence on her life, career, and will to survive. World-famous and savvy art collector Barbra Streisand has given us rare access to her high-resolution collection of some of Tamara de Lempicka’s most iconic paintings. Anjelica Huston has provided her voice, recounting her wonderful stories of starring as Tamara in the Broadway play "Tamara the Living Movie" and wearing Tamara de Lempicka jewelry that Jack Nicholson gave her the night she won her Oscar for "Prizzi's Honor." 


Interviews with Broadway star Eden Espinosa illuminate Tamara’s resilience, her business-savvy branding, romantic liaisons with her models, both male and female, and how Tamara de Lempicka’s popularity soars today. Eden Espinosa was recently nominated for a Tony Award for her starring role in the Broadway musical "Lempicka". 


Furthermore, our interview with curators Gioia Mori and Furio Rinaldi for the esteemed San Francisco’s Legion of Honor Museum & Fine Art Museums offers deep insights into Lempicka's artistic journey and delves into her art and training. In 2024, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco will present a groundbreaking retrospective exhibition of Tamara de Lempicka at the de Young Museum. As a highlight, our film, "The True Story of Tamara de Lempicka & The Art of Survival," will be featured in an exclusive screening event.


Additionally, we have conducted rare extensive interviews with Tamara's granddaughter and great-granddaughters, as well as her personal assistant, gallery owner, art collector, historians, authors, curators and Sotheby’s head of auctions Scott Niichel. Discovery Channel Poland reporter Monika Krajewska provided us with documentation and proof of Tamara’s Jewish heritage. More recently, we uncovered a groundbreaking new certificate – a record of birth and baptism – which led us to reveal Tamara de Lempicka’s true name and birth year. These newfound documents reveal her true identity. The film dives deep into the life of this bisexual Jewish artist, spotlighting her art, passion, and quest to survive.


Our co-producer and cinematographer, Svetlana Cvetko, an Academy member known for her work on the Academy Award-winning documentary "Inside Job," has overseen the cinematography for all our interviews.


The film offers an intimate portrayal of Tamara de Lempicka, enriched by the director's 19-year association with the de Lempicka family. This connection allows us to display numerous never-before-seen drawings, paintings, and home movies and provides insights into her creative journey through unseen archives from her scrapbooks through their interviews. Our film also features elements from the latest Broadway play Lempicka the Musical. We introduce NFTs of Tamara's great-granddaughter in the "Green Bugatti'' painting. We showcase Madonna's personal collection of Lempicka’s paintings in Madonna’s iconic videos, "Open Your Heart" and "Vogue and showcase her 2024 Concert. Heartwarming archival footage of Anjelica Huston accepting her Oscar while wearing Tamara de Lempicka jewelry is truly historical. We use animation techniques to depict the paintings as windows into the psyche of this great artist, using saturated colors and introducing movement to evoke and expand Tamara’s painting. We present re-creation of the night she was pressured into having sex with a government official in exchange for her husband’s freedom.



Social Media:

Instagram (11k+ followers)

Facebook (40k+ followers)


Distribution and Engagement Strategy:

We aim to premiere at top-tier festivals worldwide in 2024, and currently are exploring partnerships with streaming services and a narrative feature film, and plan for educational distribution to universities and museums globally and more. We have agreements with Larsen and Associates for local public relations and a major PR firm for domestic and international marketing. Our legal counsel is Lisa Callif, a Hollywood Reporter Power Lawyer. Additionally, Jack Lerner and his team from UCI School of Law's Intellectual Property, Arts, and Technology Clinic have been our legal counsel for the entire duration of making the film. We are actively engaging with Jewish and LGBTQIA+ communities, distributors, and streaming platforms. Furthermore, we are collaborating with museums worldwide that showcase Tamara de Lempicka's artwork to enhance our distribution reach as well as Art Deco Societies and art schools.


Film's Unique Perspective:

With its unique blend of personal connections, historical significance, artistic exploration, and cutting-edge technology, our film not only offers a compelling and fresh perspective on one of the most influential and fascinating artists of the 20th century but also dives deep into the life of this bisexual Jewish artist, spotlighting her art, passion, and quest to survive.


Press:


CineSOURCE: Rubio's New Feature on Painter Tamara de Lempicka


NPR: 'Lempicka' showcases a little-known queer artist's dazzling life 


New York Times: Two Art Deco Icons Poised for a Renaissance


Vogue: Eden Espinosa on the Radical Vision of Tamara de Lempicka—And Her Grand Return to Broadway


Town & Country: Why is Tamara de Lempicka Everywhere Right Now? 


NY1: New Broadway musical 'Lempicka' illuminates life of renowned artist Tamara de Lempicka


Metropolitan Magazine: Art as a Means of Freedom: Interview with Californian Director Julie Rubio


Metropolitan Magazine Tamara De Lempicka had falsified her date of birth 


ANSA Gioia Mori, the last mystery of Tamara de Lempicka falls


KQED Your Fall Movie Guide: Epic Visions, Personal Sagas, and Gladiators Galore


SF Arts Mill Valley Film Festival 47